Pore Structure and Fractal Characteristics of Deep Shale: A Case Study from Permian Shanxi Formation Shale, from the Ordos Basin

[Image: see text] Pore structure has certain significance for the preservation and enrichment of shale gas. However, less attention is paid to deep shale (>3000 m) which has unique pore characteristics that distinguish it from the shallow and medium layers. In order to study the pore structure characteristics of deep shale, 10 samples of the Shanxi Formation are collected from well YP-1 within the depth of 3550–3610 m in the Fuxian block of the Ordos Basin. The pore structure characteristics of shale samples are quantitatively studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low-temperature nitrogen adsorption–desorption, and high-pressure mercury injection experiments. The pore surface area (SA) and pore volume (PV) of the deep shale of Shanxi formation are low, with average values of 4.282 m(2)/g and 0.0126 mL/g, respectively. The content of total organic carbon (TOC) is high, which is in the high over mature stage, with undeveloped organic pores and developed microfractures. The main mineral components are clay (51.6%∼89.1%) and quartz (8%∼41.7%). By establishing the relationship between SA, PV, and TOC for quartz and clay minerals, it is found that these three parameters have little contribution to SA and PV. The pore diameter is mainly mesoporous, 2.5–4 nm and 8–11 nm. The complexity of pore structure is discussed through the fractal dimension calculated by the fractal Frenkel–Halsey–Hill (FHH) model. The pore fractal dimension D(2) (2.6240) is greater than D(1) (2.5608), and the complexity of the pore structure is greater than that of the pore surface. The fractal dimension of deep shale in Shanxi is negatively correlated with TOC content and weakly correlated with quartz and clay minerals. It shows that the mineral composition of deep shale in Shanxi Formation in the study area has little effect on pore development, and the development of microfractures is the main contribution of SA and PV.